Happy Halloween!!!

Happy Halloween, everyone!! Hope everyone's spooky holiday has been fun!!
I kicked off Halloween week by seeing Keltie's Halloween dance show on Saturday. It was fun! Kind of long...but fun nonetheless. Sunday, of course, the Sox won the World Series, so that was another fun evening!!! On Sunday Alyssa and I also went to Bangor on a Stephen King movie hunt. We rented "The Dead Zone" which wasn't exactly scary, but was a good movie. Then Monday night we found a free web-streamed version of "The Shining"...I almost peed myself watching that one. Jack Nicholson is sooo scary and okay, honestly...the decomposing woman in the bathroom? COMPLETELY unnecessary!! Last night our friend Jeremy came over and the three of us watched "1408", the newest member of the Stephen King family of movies. It was kind of warped, but not ALL that frightening. And then after that the 3 of us made a parody of some scenes from it...which I'll post on here once we get it on YouTube. It's funny!
Speaking of YouTube, Fame Forever has arrived on YouTube! The rest of the premieres are on there as well and slowly but surely certain scenes from ours keep popping up on the site. Go here to see them: http://www.youtube.com/user/valn!
OK, well I have some work to finish and then I think Alyssa and I are going to try and find another scary movie to watch...in the spirit of Halloween! :)
Later, gators!

Testing out YouTube quick capture...

Okay, well YouTube has this thing where you can record your videos right through the site, so I was just testing it out...it's not a very entertaining blog video! I'll write more tomorrow! :)
Later, gators!

World Series Madness!!!

Woohoooo!!! The Sox have done it again...and there's absolutely no mistaking that on the UMaine campus!!! As soon as that last strike was called, the bells were ringing, the fireworks were blasting, and the bonfire was burning. It was CRAZY! Alyssa, Christy, and I decided to head over to the bonfire, which was a fun time. The picture is of Alyssa and Christy with the glow sticks they gave us...and the second picture is a kind of crappy picture of the fire and the crowd, but it doesn't really do it justice. The first video is a short one that Alyssa took of the crowd and the second video is of me and Christy dancing haha. It was a good time all in all. :) I can't imagine what it would be like to be in Boston right about now. :)
Alright, bed time!!!
Later, gators!

Homeward Bound...

I'm looking forward to spending the weekend at home. I am heading down tomorrow after classes. Saturday I am getting a MUCH needed haircut! So, that's exciting! Saturday night, I am spending time with one of my oldest and best friends, Brian. Brian and I met in 6th grade. We didn't hit it off at first, actually I hated his guts. He was rather ignorant at the time, and would openly spew his anti-gay comments around me. At that time, I didn't know how to handle my emotions and it would just make me really angry and I'd cry. By 7th grade we got along better and with each passing year Brian and I became closer and closer. During high school he went through an extremely brave and difficult ordeal. Brian was raised Jehovah Witness and so when he came out, as being gay, during senior year, his family pretty much disowned him. And to this day he rarely speaks with them, because they choose not to. It makes me sad that someone as funny, and talented, and smart as Brian has to live by himself & work constantly (to try to raise money to go to school) just because of who he is. So, whenever I get the chance to hang out with him, I do. Because I miss him but also so that he knows he ISN'T alone and that there are people that accept him for who he is 150%. We were Ends together senior year, and that photo was taken backstage during Chizzle Wizzle senior year. He was donning his very famous "Laura Richmond" costume. :) So, yes, Saturday night we are heading to Waterville to see Keltie's dance recital. We always go see opera house events together. And he's always cheering me on in any show I am in. No matter where it is, no matter how far he has to drive, I can always count on Brian in the audience clapping the loudest. So, I am excited to see him. He is one of the bravest, most loyal, and loving people I know and I wish that his family could see that and look past the fact that he's gay. BUT, in the meantime, he knows that he has many friends who care about him and will always support him. :)
So! Yeah, I'll give you guys an update on how the dance recital is!! :)
Later, gators!

New video blog!

A photo shoot!

Alyssa and I were bored Saturday night before we went to see "Across The Universe" so we called our friend Jeremy, who we met during Fame Forever, and decided to have a photo shoot around campus. Jeremy took all of the pictures shown here (minus the one of himself...which I took, and I think it's pretty shnazzy)! The first one is of Alyssa and I pretending to be tourists in front of the big bear which sits outside of the Memorial gym. The other two are random bench shots. Alyssa pretending to be a homeless person, and I am a person waiting for the bus. I just thought I'd share these photos with you all because I think they are fun!
Later, gators!

Go RED SOX! & A new header....

Wooohoo! Go SOX! They just won their ticket to the World Series! Woo! Okay, so I admit I am a wicked bandwagon Red Sox fan. I watch them when they get to this point. Before this point, I don't watch. Although, my sophomore year in high school I watched them quite a bit because I had a huge huge huge crush on Pedro Martinez, then he left and I felt no need to watch. BUT before he left the Sox, I did manage to get to a game in Baltimore, make him a sign, and then almost faint when he tossed me a ball. :) Good times!

On another note, I spent a CONSIDERABLE (aka...a freaking really long time) making a new header tonight in PhotoShop. I hope ya'll like it. It took me forever! I think it's charming.

Also, I think I am going to start doing something every blog before I sign off. I got the idea from my dad's friend's blog. He does these blogs where he names a bunch of stuff that puzzle/annoy him. They are HILARIOUS. BUT I tend to be an overly negative person anyway so I am going to try to a do a "Something That Makes Me Smile" before I end my blogs.

So here's my first one.
Something That Makes Me Smile:
Coming up with a fun, and different way to climb the 4 flights of stairs to my dorm. I don't think it makes Alyssa smile, though. ;-)

Alright, later gators!

Go see it...right now!

Across The Universe is amazing. Go see it. As soon as possible. It'll make you laugh, cry, and everything in between. It's wonderful. I've included the trailer just in case you've yet to see it!
It's kind of weird in some parts. But it's such a heartfelt story and the music is absolutely marvelous! GO SEE IT.

Later, gators!

Pushing Daisies & Across The Universe

Last night I was not feeling well at all. My stomach was really hurting and so I decided to call it a "stay-in" night. My friend Jeremy came over for a bit and he, Alyssa, and I had some laughs and then Alyssa went to a party. It was while Alyssa was at the party that I discovered Pushing Daisies. Alyssa had told me that the show was pretty good so I went to ABC.com where you can watch full episodes of past shows and watched all 3 of the ones that have been on. I LOVED IT. It's comedy I would say, but a weird comedy. Almost mystical. It reminds me of James and The Giant Peach. It's just fun and different. It's about this guy that can touch dead people and bring them back to life but only for a minute, because if he keeps them alive for longer than a minute another person (in close proximity) dies. And if he touches them again, they die again. So, he and the only other person who knows about his secret (a greedy private investigator) go into business together bringing murder victims back to life for a minute, asking them who killed them, putting them back to being dead, and then collecting the reward. BUT when his childhood sweetheart ends up being one of the murder victims he can't help but keep her alive for longer, opening up a whole can of worms. Watch it! It's so fun and charming. It's on Wednesdays at 8 on ABC.
Tonight, Alyssa and I and possibly some others are going to see Across The Universe, which looks really good. It's the new movie with the Beatles' music in it. It seems kind of trippy and weird, and sort of like I'd have to be high to understand it, but even so, it should be good! Alright, food time!
Later, gators!

20 years old!

So, today was my 20th birthday!!! The day went well, in general. I began it by being serenaded when I walked into Music History class. That was embarrassing...okay, I loved it. Then I had piano class, which is always a bit stressful for me because I struggle with it, but I always learn a lot. I then had lunch with friends in the union. And headed to Sight Singing/Ear Training class in which I got a test back. It was definitely a birthday treat to get it back and see that I hadn't failed miserably. After that class I came back to the room, did some math homework and then went to opera rehearsal for like a half hour. Then Alyssa and I had dinner. THEN we headed over to Minsky for the Women's Composer Concert which I was singing with Athena Consort in. It was a looong concert, but good nonetheless. After the concert Alyssa, Jesse, Lisa and myself went to Dysart's for a bit of a late night snack. I had never been to Dysart's, so of course Jesse (who works there) felt the need to tell every employee, trucker, and random person there that it was my birthday and that I had never been to Dysart's. I got many "Happy Birthdays" and many "Welcome to Dysarts!" tonight. It was really yummy though. I got the french toast. It was scrumptious. So, all in all I had a great birthday. It's weird to not be a teenager anymore. :)

Later, gators!

PS...Thanks to everyone who sent me cards in the mail, wrote blogs about me, called me, left me voicemails, text messaged me, IM'd me, and left me facebook comments. You all are wonderful and I love you a lot.

Pre-Birthday Festivities!

Tonight I spent some time with good friends celebrating my birthday which is TOMORROW!!!! Alyssa, Jesse, Cory, and I went to Chile's for dinner (complete with singing waitresses) and then headed to Jesse's for some laughs and good times. I also got some good gifts tonight. That's a picture of me holding the gifts I got. Cory got me that poster of Zac Efron, Jesse got me 2 shirts and a pair of shoes and then Alyssa gave me part of my gift tonight and I guess I'll be getting the rest of it tomorrow. She got me a toy microphone prop because I am constantly doing silly little interviews in our videos orrrrr singing. So, that was a cute present. :) I'll give you more updates on the birthday extravaganza tomorrow!!!! :)

Later, gators!

Money doesn't grow on trees, idiots.

Apparently stupid residents of my dorm think that money grows on trees and that pulling the fire alarm (FOR THE SECOND NIGHT IN A ROW) at 2:30 in the morning is a good idea. So, that's now $4000 dollars racked up to be paid by innocent people trying to sleep. Honest to goodness, you'd think that by the time people got around to college they'd be mature enough to not do stupid, inconsiderate things, but apparently not.

On another note, my birthday is in 2 days. :) Woooohooo. I have an Athena Consort concert that night. Athena Consort is the women's choir I am in on campus. Ya'll should come to the concert. It's the Annual Women's Composer concert and so all the pieces are by women composers. Athena sings last, but there is plenty of other very talented people. Including my friend, Sara Richardson who composed her own piece to perform in it. Which is beyond cool. So, check it out. 7:30 PM on Wednesday night!

Alright, I am in the computer cluster so I can get some math work done. Later, gators!!

Gotta love fire alarms...

So, last night Alyssa and I got home around 1:30ish from a fun-filled evening with good friends. We then preceded to crawl our way to bed and begin to drift off. But drift off is the only thing we could do because at around 2 in the morning the fire alarm started BLARING. When I say blaring I mean, BLARING. That little light on the damn thing was flashing too. So, I practically fall off my bunk bed, I grab my mainecard(key) and a jacket and we head downstairs and outside along with the 400 other residents of my dorm. It was a rather funny sight, actually. I wish I would have grabbed my camera. 400 college students standing around in PJs. Funny! So, about 15 minutes later the fire truck showed up (okay, seriously, if it was a real fire the place would have been burned to the ground by the time the truck got there) and they shut the alarm off and everyone began to cheer (most likely waking up the residents of our 2 neighbor dorms) and went back inside. And here's another fun little tidbit, the residents of the dorm will be having to split up a $2000 charge on our student bills for the moron who pulled the alarm. OY VEY.
Later, gators.

Chanticleer!

I just got back from a fun evening of listening to an a capella men's choir named Chanticleer perform at Colby. A bunch of us music majors made the trek down to see them, and it was WELL worth it. Especially since it was a free concert. They were amazing. 3 of those men are SOPRANOS. SOPRANOS!!!! AKA they sing just as high (and higher) than I do! Go to their website that I listed above and check them out! They are based out of San Francisco and pretty much spend all of their time touring. They're awesome. If they come back to this area ya'll should definitely check 'em out!

Okay, bed time.
Later, gators!!

RIP Seymoure...

My fish, Seymoure, died last night. He lived a nice long life. I had him for over a year, so I mean it's pretty understandable that he died. So, RIP sweet Seymoure fishy.

On another note, everything is going well. I had a nice fall break. I spent time with family and just relaxed.

Speaking of relaxing, I had an hour massage today at Cutler Health Center. Only I didn't relax the whole time cuz it was an old man doing the massage and it was weird. I mean, I guess it was nice, but I wish I would have had a woman do it. I thought it was a woman, but I guess there is a man and woman that do it and I got stuck with the man. Blech.

Okay, dinner time.
Later, gators!

Pandora=MY NEW OBSESSION

If you have yet to discover Pandora, please discover it. Right this minute. It's amazing. It's this FREE online radio created by the Music Genome Project. Here's some info about the Music Genome Project from the Pandora website:

"On January 6, 2000 a group of musicians and music-loving technologists came together with the idea of creating the most comprehensive analysis of music ever.

Together we set out to capture the essence of music at the most fundamental level. We ended up assembling literally hundreds of musical attributes or "genes" into a very large Music Genome. Taken together these genes capture the unique and magical musical identity of a song - everything from melody, harmony and rhythm, to instrumentation, orchestration, arrangement, lyrics, and of course the rich world of singing and vocal harmony. It's not about what a band looks like, or what genre they supposedly belong to, or about who buys their records - it's about what each individual song sounds like.

Since we started back in 2000, we've carefully listened to the songs of tens of thousands of different artists - ranging from popular to obscure - and analyzed the musical qualities of each song one attribute at a time. This work continues each and every day as we endeavor to include all the great new stuff coming out of studios, clubs and garages around the world.

It has been quite an adventure, you could say a little crazy - but now that we've created this extraordinary collection of music analysis, we think we can help be your guide as you explore your favorite parts of the music universe.

We hope you enjoy the journey.

Tim Westergren
Founder
The Music Genome Project"

So, how Pandora works is you create a free account and then you can create radio stations. You create the radio station by entering the name of an artist you like. For instance, the first artist I entered was Jack Johnson. The program then creates a "Jack Johnson Station" which plays Jack Johnson songs as well as tons of other songs by artists whose music is similar to Jack's or music that the Music Genome Project people think you would like if you like Jack. You can create as many stations as you like! It's a great way to learn about artists you don't know yet and to listen to only music you like, all the time, for free. You can also vote whether you like the song it is playing. If you don't like it, it'll skip to the next song and it won't play that song again. You can also do a "quick mix" which mixes all the stations together and you get an array of stuff. It's so much fun! Seriously, check it out! It's 100% free and I am all about free music. :)
ENJOY!
Later, gators!